Climate (MENA) 
Egypt Edition 
UAE Edition 
Saudi Edition 
MENA <> India Corridor 
Logistics (MENA) 
Share
Read Full Issue 
Green hydrogen prices are expected to drop in MENA: Egypt, Saudi, and the UAE will become one of the most competitive producers of green hydrogen globally by 2030 as costs for electrolyzer systems and tariff prices for renewable energy generation fall, according to a new report (pdf) by India-based management consulting firm Alvarez andMarshal.
How much are the prices of renewables expected to decline? Solar tariffs in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Chile and India will fall below USD 20 per MWh while wind tariffs are expected to reach under USD 30 per MWh in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the US by 2030.
And electrolyzers? The costs for alkaline electrolyzers are estimated to be within USD 735–945 per kW. This is expected to drop further by 2030 as the capital expenditure for these electrolyzers is anticipated to decrease reaching USD 310–440 per kW across various countries.
UAE came up on top: The UAE is projected to produce the cheapest green hydrogen globally by 2030 at USD 1.7 per kg, down from USD 2.7 per kg in 2023. Subsequently, the UAE is projected to produce green ammonia competitively by 2030 at USD 467 per ton — down from the USD 629 per ton recorded last year. UAE ranked the 5th globally in infrastructure readiness which takes into account the country’s abundance of renewable energy sources, grid size, and current hydrogen usage, amongst other factors.
Followed by KSA: Saudi Arabia is expected to produce the third cheapest green hydrogen globally after the UAE and India at USD 1.8 per kg — down from USD 2.9 per kg last year. Green ammonia production costs in the kingdom are predicted to decrease from USD 475 per ton in 2023 to USD 686 per ton in 2030. Saudi Arabia ranked 7th globally in infrastructure readiness.
Egypt still has a ways to go: The report estimates Egypt will produce green hydrogen at a cost of USD 2.7 per kg by 2030 — down from USD 4.5 per kg last year — and green ammonia at a cost of USD 635 per ton — down from USD 962 per ton in 2023. The report attributes the increase in the price to the high country risk which leads to higher financing costs for the projects.
The focus is on exports: UAE, Saudi, Egypt and Oman are among the countries focusing on green hydrogen exports by 2030, the global trade for which is estimated to yield USD 24-36 bn annually, according to the report. This also comes as the EU’s RePowerEU green hydrogen strategy aims to import 10 mn tons of hydrogen by 2030 from countries including Egypt, Oman, and Morocco.
India is also making strides: India will also have a competitive advantage in the hydrogen market as it's estimated to produce the fuel at USD 1.8 per kg by 2030 — down from USD 3.2 per kg in 2023 — and ranks 4th in hydrogen infrastructure readiness. Green ammonia will be produced at USD 467 per ton, compared to USD 727 per ton in 2023. India is aiming to create 1 mn tons of hydrogen demand annually by 2027 and sign more offtake agreements to derisk projects in efforts to further enable its green hydrogen economy.
IN OTHER INDIA NEWS- India is seeing its first green hydrogen project launch next month: India’s state-owned gas company Gail is set to launch its first green hydrogen project in April, Reuters reported citing sources familiar with the matter. The 10 MW electrolyser will produce around 4.3 metric tons of hydrogen daily.
